In a series of posts on X, formerly known as Twitter, Elon Musk has accused the European Commission of attempting to strike an “illegal secret deal” with the platform to ensure compliance with the new EU Digital Services Act (DSA). Musk claims the Commission offered to waive fines in exchange for quietly censoring speech without public knowledge, a deal which he asserts other platforms accepted but X did not.
This controversy arises as the European Commission announced that X had breached elements of the Digital Services Act, a set of comprehensive regulations aimed at holding platforms like Facebook, YouTube, and X accountable for protecting European users from harmful content and misinformation. The DSA, effective since February this year, stipulates that platforms must implement robust measures to ensure user safety and transparency.
“The European Commission offered X an illegal secret deal: if we quietly censored speech without telling anyone, they would not fine us,” Musk posted on X. He further emphasized that X rejected this deal, contrasting with other platforms that allegedly accepted the terms. Musk has threatened to take the matter to court to expose the Commission’s actions, stating, “so that the people of Europe can know the truth.”
The Digital Services Act mandates that platforms maintain transparency, provide an ad repository, and allow data access for researchers. The Commission’s charges against X mark the first enforcement of the DSA, with potential fines reaching up to 6% of the platform’s global revenue.
Musk did not provide specific details about the alleged “secret deal” but emphasized that X’s refusal to comply has resulted in legal action from the Commission. The Commission began investigating X in December and recently released preliminary findings indicating that **X’s practices do not align with the *DSA’s transparency requirements*. According to the findings, *X* misled users, failed to provide an adequate ad repository, and blocked data access for researchers.
Margrethe Vestager, the outgoing Executive Vice President of the European Commission and Commissioner for Competition, highlighted these issues in a post, stating, “In our view, X doesn’t comply with the DSA in key transparency areas. It misleads users, fails to provide adequate ad repository, and blocks access to data for researchers.”
The Commission’s probe revealed that X’s blue checkmark verification system was deceptive and had been exploited by malicious actors to mislead users. As a result, X now faces the possibility of multi-million-euro fines for these infringements.
The Commission’s findings and Musk’s public accusations have sparked significant debate about the role of major tech platforms in regulating online content and the transparency of their operations. As the situation develops, the implications for X and other platforms under the DSA will become clearer, with potential legal battles on the horizon.
